Hi everyone. It's been a great day in and out of read.cash. Most amazingly, meeting someone with whom you share a similar concept to life issues makes the day a Wonder. For quite a while now, I have wondered alone in my viewpoint. I know I am not melancholic or sanguine, yet I am not convinced enough of what kind of style I display. To say I could do all things may seem too spiritual, in the real sense of the matter, I could do all things, maybe to a standpoint of my apprehension.
Enough of all the suspense. I met a young fellow who could be said to be an Afrocentric writer. I am one too. People write from different perspectives. You too. Maybe you haven't just discovered. Every writer writes for a purpose.
Some years ago, I took time to read up some write-ups about African history as written by non-African writers, the content seemed a lot different from the oral tradition of African history, told by natives of such historical past events.
Afrocentrism
Do not be caught in a web of surprise. Nothing is new and the note would be new in the world. Things are only evolving from what is existing. The concept of Afrocentrism is the attitude of writing to favour content on matters that affects the African continent. Do not be surprised that many writers have had ro write only to favour an aspect of the society they hail from or one that affects them one way or the other.
These groups of writers started showing up sometimes after the abolishment of slavery all over the world.
Eurocentrism
Another school of thought that writes in favor of Europe. Do you wonder if they ever existed? Yeah, they do exist. To say the least, Eurocentric writers existed before those of African origin. Some funny things that were written by these writers include the under listed:
•Africa is the white man's grave
During the time reporting this, the heavy presence of tsetse fly that causes sleeping sickness and mosquito that causes malaria e the white explorers who had visited Africa run for their lives. Quinine which was later discovered was not available when this idea was conceived. Africa had never been a graveyard. 🤣😂🤣
•Africa is a dark continent
It was posited that the continent is still unbaked due to crude technology. Afrocentric writers negated this idea with the fact that Africa was going through a phase and was growing its technology with the materials available. They went further to write that some development had occurred in parts of Africa before European nations would dare dream about it. The Egyptian civilizations have a lot to do in this direction.
Hence, no continent should be relegated or measure below standard.
The Real Thing
Do you think we can reach a compromise on this? Between when some of the above assertions were written and now, there had been a tremendous transformation that has yet proved again that bias writing and facts they present will not last too long.
If you must write, do it such that posterity will judge you fairly. Do not be overwhelmed by your current position or location.
Problem of Oral Tradition
Perhaps you haven't taken note of this points while you read through foreign books, you should reconsider finding the reason why people write what they write.
The passion to defend one's identity is also seen when he/she writes. A typical example is the roles played by Oral Tradition which has become a disadvantage to African history and literature.
Each time you write or read through literature of different people, you tend to see a different line in an attempt to either beautify the art or make it look better than what it was.
For instance, the oral tradition of the history of the Yoruba has it that Olodumare asked Orunmila to come down to the earth. He did with a shell of snail filled with sand, a cockerel and a palm-nut. The legend continued by saying how the cradle of man started from Ile-Ife. Another oral tradition has it that the Yoruba people were originated from Medina in Mecca and that their progenitor is Oduduwa. There is a clear difference between the two traditions.
When it comes to writing, do not be shocked when you read absurd stories other than what you have read or heard somewhere. That's what writing is all about.
On the contrary, whatever you are to write, ensure that it depicts the real nature of the message you are trying to convey.
Meanwhile, let's all enjoy our moments and have fun. Keep writing for a purpose, let other generations read what is valuable from you.
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The pen is mightier than the sword.
History is one of my soft spots. I enjoyed that you talked about the concepts of Afrocentrism and Eurocentrism here. The negritude poets of the 20th century were mainly known for their afrocentric writings about Africa as they tried to prove wrong the erroneous beliefs Eurocentric writers such as Joseph Conrad documented about Africa. And true, Oral tradition may seem divided on veracity of historical records of the black man, nevertheless, it holds certain amounts of truths also.